Bare Faced & Insecure No Longer!

A few years ago I wrote an article entitled Bare Faced & Insecure–My Evening Without Makeup where I shared how I mentally struggled with a night when I was out with my husband, and I had not dolled myself up makeup wise as I usually would. It wasn’t until we took a picture together while having a blast and seeing it that I realized that I was literally tripping out. All of my insecure emotional nonsense was in my head, and had absolutely nothing to do with what was or was not on my face!

Pure joy and happiness is more beautiful than any makeup at all!

Since then, I did a One Week Makeup-Free Challenge outside of using my Vapour Organic Beauty Stratus Instant Skin Perfector, which is a no color foundation/primer/moisturizer which makes your skin look radiant because of the light reflecting minerals. It was extremely freeing to skip the whole makeup routine that week! Shortly after that I went back to wearing more makeup again.

This year I am finally back to wearing very minimal makeup when I choose. I no longer feel like I absolutely need to put it on every day in order to look presentable before going out. There is no more spot concealing whether I have one, two, or a few blemishes, and it is pure freedom not to be concerned with it. I am finally releasing the need for ridiculous perfection, and just being comfortable in the skin that I was born with.

Taking Full Accountability vs Concealing The Truth

For the past year I have been diligently working on healing my gut and digestive system, and the process continues. For me this means that with every meal eaten, it is released from my body within 24 hours. I have taken my nutrition very seriously, and I stopped eating sugar and all processed foods, which has really helped with the overall appearance of my skin. I have also incorporated more raw living foods into my diet. The better my skin looks from taking better care of my health, the more comfortable I feel just adding a few drops of rosehip seed oil as a moisturizer and being done. No more light reflective minerals needed everyday to feel good!

I have also worked hard on getting back into my morning routine. I am finally prioritizing my sleep and going to bed early again. Getting good sleep makes the skin under my eyes smoother and less puffy.

Good sleep is an all natural under-eye concealer that is much more effective than any store bought product, and it actually works.

Now that I am going to sleep earlier, I can get up earlier and have some quality time to myself before the real day begins. For me this includes my meditation and prayer time, journaling, and stretching. I wrote in detail about how to create a healthy and healing morning routine here. I’m taking my own advice on this one again versus staying up late for no real reason.

The longer that I have not worn any makeup at all, the more comfortable I am when I see my reflection in the mirror.

When you wear foundation, powder, bronzer, highlighter, blush, eyeshadow, eye liner, mascara, lashes, lipstick, and gloss it can be exceptionally tough seeing your reflection when you cleanse your face a night. Weaning yourself off a full face makeup routine can be tough. I know because I did this myself. Also the magic of it all, along with incredible lighting and Photoshop, like one of my professional headshots, can create a slightly tweaked perception of yourself. Comparing yourself to others doesn’t help either.

When I was tired of envying women who looked beautiful without wearing any makeup at all, I took on the challenge of being makeup-free myself.

Now that I am much happier with my own reflection sans le makeup, I feel immensely liberated! Of course looking presentable is important to me, so I dress in my best. It also takes less time and effort now to get ready in the morning, and if I do decide to wear eyeliner or maybe a bit of cheek stain, or even a bold red lip, it’s no big thing, and it definitely only takes a minute or two to achieve my desired look.

There was a point in my life when I thought I was going to become a makeup artist myself. I was studying/assisting with two incredible makeup artists at the time, and being an overall artist in general, makeup was just another form of creative expression. And what an incredible art form it is!

Yet for myself makeup had also become a blanket to cover my insecurity, and I felt dependent upon it. Wearing a full face of makeup was a confidence booster that I couldn’t achieve on my own before. The truth is that my confidence is better without it now that I’ve been working so diligently to heal my skin from the inside out and with a simple skin care regimen. Makeup is no longer creating more problems by suffocating my skin or clogging my pores.

Pure freedom is my focus for 2015, and being predominately makeup-free is one way that I am experiencing that!

What a stunning picture of you without makeup. Your skin is beautiful.

I usually don’t wear too much makeup. When I wear the color black near my face, I usually wear a shade of red lipstick which balances the darkness.

Other than that:

1)I gave up on blush because it was so hard to find just the right shade.

2)I gave up on makeup and powder each day because it would rub off and didn’t seem worth it.

What I’ve been looking for is a clay pot that contains a powdered bronzer which was popular in the seventies. This bronzer could be used as a shadow, blush, lip stain and even as a nail stain. You can use plain lip gloss over it.

I really like facial products that can be used for duplicate purposes.

3) I like to buff my nails and enjoy the glow and white nails( I use a white pencil)

4) Mascara can harbor bacteria if you don’t refresh it regularly.

For me, facial skin(in particular) looks better the less you deal with it. Your hands and tools have bacteria which can cause blemishes. Being on the makeup artist track, you know that the less you pull or tug on the skin the more elastic it stays.

I think the natural glow of your face and eyes is something that is hard for makeup to mimic.

Hi Sandy,
Thanks so much for the compliment! I completely agree with you about bacteria being transferred to your face from makeup tools and your hands, and that the tugging and pulling of your skin actually makes things worse in the long run. I also like multipurpose cosmetics too. I always love reading your comments so thanks again for sharing. Enjoy your weekend!

Thank you for this lovely article Dawn, your words are truly so helpful to many women here! When I found your blog, I changed everything, especially my mind. I have since made my own mineral foundation and use oils and essential oils for my skin care and makeup, and now embarking on natural hair care. I love that I can make my own natural products and feel good about what is on my skin. Though I’ve had remarkable improvement in complexion, I still struggle with skin clogging sometimes, and still “need” to wear makeup, even with natural makeup. I would like to do the same you have done! It’s been a fun journey, as I have a passion for natural, simple beauty and life. I would love to be makeup free and use even less in the meantime! I tried oil cleansing and that just doesn’t work for me even with linoleic oils. But raw honey is so lovely 🙂 it’s a journey for sure, a challenging one, so thank you for your inspiration and knowledge you share so generously. I look forward to all your coming articles. Blessings!

Hi Ashlynn,
Thanks so much for sharing this! I’m really happy that using raw honey as a face wash has been so helpful to you too. It’s really all about finding what works best for you as we are all so different and unique. Living simply is definitely a journey but a very rewarding one. I’ve had a TON of trial and error along the way, but I wouldn’t change one aspect of it because I have learned so much about myself as well as all of the things that I no longer need. Have a wonderful weekend!

Hey girl,
I absolutely love love love your website! I only found it a few days ago and already can’t wait to embark on my journey to gorgeous skin!! I was wondering, do I absolutely HAVE to use the microfiber cleasning cloth? I live in the UK and it would be so much easier for me to access an average facial cloth? And can is use blackseed oil or pumpkin perfume oil? Also, I have oily skin, so will this make my skin oilier or dry? Finally, will I have a period of my skin purging whilst it is getting used to this new routine? Oh, and I’m currently using tons of skincare products ( currently following tyhe Korean skincare regime which consists of approx 10 products a day!) so should I drop products one by one or just jump straight to the simpler skincare? thanks ans sorry for all the questions! I’m just super excited!! xxx
I really hope I too can go makeup free!!! xxx

Hi Remy,
I noticed that you asked this question in a few different articles and you can see my response here. Also I’ve purchased soft microfiber cloths from TJ Maxx and Marshalls and a similiar store would be TK Maxx in the UK I think. They are extremely helpful. And yes oil cleansing is amazing for oily skin. Oily skin is usually a culprit of diet and stripping the skin of its natural oils with harsh facial cleansers. Best wishes!

Congrats on feeling more freedom! I am trying to get to that point in my life as well. It’s hard, because I want to look put-together, but at the same time, a full face of makeup can be a lot of work! (Especially when I have to wash my brushes after each use.) I’ve gone from full-face makeup (concealer, foundation, eyes, brows, lips, etc.) to mainly just covering up discolorations/blemishes, tightlining and mascara. My biggest insecurity is blemishes, so that’s the one thing I tend to be a stickler about covering (unless I’m going to the gym, and then I don’t care what I look like since I’ll sweat the makeup off anyway!). I have a HUGE sweet tooth, so that is the last frontier for me to conquer as far as getting my skin in check.

Hi Kayla,
The more my skin has healed the more comfortable I have felt wearing little to no makeup. Radiant skin always looks put together. A rich lip color and/or black winged eyeliner can create a very polished makeup look without wearing the masses in my opinion. Thanks for your comment and best wishes!

Loved this post. Over the past 18 months I have had to drastically change my diet due to suffering terribly from eczema, and realising it was all gut related. My skin is so much better now I have cut out all wheat, dairy, and a whole range of other foods I was intolerant too. Interestingly, I am not intolerant to sugar, but when I cut refined sugar from my diet my skin healed real quick. I admire your stance on going makeup free. I am not there yet – I am nearing 40 (what? Yesterday I was 21!) and am conscious that the ageing process is happening. But I agree there is beauty in skin that is looked after from the inside out, without lotions and potions caked on. It’s a work in progress for me but I would love to get to the point of going out with no makeup – how liberating!! Love your blog by the way – very inspiring. Cheers from New Zealand.

Hi Heidi,
Thanks so much for the compliment and sharing your story. There definitely is beauty in skin looked after from the inside out thst no topical product can emulate. It is wonderful that you determined the cause of your skin issues and have taken the steps to alleviate them. I bet you feel so much better to with the dietary changes. Wishing you only the best!

Hi
I just discovered your blog!
I also don’t wear make up everyday. Only on occasions that warrant it.
My concern is skin care and ageing. You are younger so I am not sure if you have any ideas on natural products for wrinkles and sagging skin? I am 45 years old.